Box structure



D. POSTAL AND S. HAMMER.

BOX STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED .MAY 14, I919- Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

INVENTORS BY Sam Harm/zen ATTO;NE Y

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID POSTAL, OF BROOKLYN, AND SAM HAMMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOX STRUCTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

Application filed May 14, 1919. Serial No. 296,971.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that we, DAVID POs'rAL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, and SAM HAM- MER, a citizen of Russia, and resident of the borough of the Bronx, county of the Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Box Structures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric cutout, switch or junction boxes, though applicable to various other uses and purposes, and has for its primary object to provide an improved cover connection for such boxes which will effecta substantially dust proof closure of the box. It is a more particular object to provide an improved hinged cover connection for such boxes wherein'the hinged parts are integral elements of the box body and the cover.

Another object of our invention is to provide a box body and cover, each of which is stamped from a single plate of sheet metal and formed with parts adapted to be hingedly connected to thereby connect the cover to the box body for swinging movement, and said body having a part acting to lock the hinged parts against the possibility of disconnection.

It is a further generalobj ect of the invention to provide a box structure having a hinged cover which is very serviceable and durable in practical use and can be expeditiously produced in large quantities at relatively low manufacturing cost.

Having the aforementioned objects in View, the. present invention comprehends certain novel and improved combinations of mechanical elements, and the structural characteristics thereof, as will be more fully developed in the following description and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims. I

Referring to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate correspondformed ontheir free ends and on one edge with the lips or extensions 15 which are so ing parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric cutout box constructed in accordance with.

one embodiment of our invention; Fig. 2 is a plan View; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation, the box cover being in open position;

velectrical circuit installations, 5 designates .the body of the box and 6 the cover therefor, which is adapted to close the open side of the box body. Each of these parts is formed from a single sheet metal blank as seen in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing, the

blank constituting the box body including the base portion 7 and the four side walls 8. These side walls are adapted to be bent into angular relation with respect to the base 7 along thedotted lines indicated at 9. The

base 7 is provided at itscorners with the openings 10 for the reception of suitable screws or analogous fastening elements whereby the box may be conveniently secured to a beam or other support designated B. V

Each of the side walls 8 has disk like portions 11 punched inwardly but remaining connected to said walls at diametrically opposite points as shown at 12. These disks are adapted to be punched completely out from the side walls and removed as is usual in the use of such electric cutout boxes so that the connecting wires may be inserted through the openings thus provided in the side walls of the box.

One pair of the side walls 8 at opposite edges of the base 7, is providedwith the flanges 13 extending along the side edges of said walls which are adapted to be bent on the dotted lines 14 and disposed in angular relation to said side walls. Thus when the several parts of the box body are disposed in their proper relative positions, these flanges will extend upon the inner faces of the other side walls 8.

The latter side walls of the box body are shaped at their inner sides as to provide the bayonet slots 16.

The blank from which the cover 6 is formed includes a body portion 17 having flanges 18 on each of its marginal edges which are adapted to be bent along the dotted lines 19 into angular relation to the body plate 17. The corresponding flanges 18 on opposite edges of the cover are providedat one of their ends with the extensions 20 which,

when the flanges 18 are disposed in their.

proper relative positions with respect to the cover plate 17, project beyond the flange 18 which extends between said flanges whereon the extensions are formed; This latter flange is provided at its ends with the longitudinally extending lugs 21. These lugs are adapted for engagement in notches or recesses 22 formed in the edges of the extensions 20 when the several flanges are bent totheir angular positions. This cover is of such dimensions that when assembled upon the body of the box and disposed in its closed position, the several flanges 18 will frictionally engageupon the outer faces of the several body walls 8. It is to be particularly noted that a space or slot 23 is providedbetween the end edges of the flange 18 having the lugs 21 and the opposed inner facesof the adjacent cover flanges 18.

In assembling the parts of'the box, the

wall 8 of. the box body which extends between the opposite body walls havingthe lips 15 formed thereon, is forced inwardly as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig 3 of the drawing so as to uncover the bayonet slots 16. position and the lips 15 are engaged through;

The, cover is then arranged in the slots 23 between the end flange of .the cover and the side flanges thereof. The lugs 21 enter the open ends of the bayonet slots 16 and areforced downwardly into the closed ends of said slots. The body wall 8 is then released and it will immediately return to its normal position as seen in full lines in Fig. 3 where it extends 'over the slots 16 and thus precludes any possibility of the lugs 21 moving out of said slots and thus enabling the cover to be completely disconnected from the box body. The flanges 13 which are disposed. upon the inner faces of the adjacent body walls 8 are now securely and permanently fixed to said body wall, preferably by spot-welding the walls understood. When the cover is initsclosed position with its marginalflanges engaging the body walls of the box, a substantially dust proof closure, for the interior of. the box-i provided in view of the peculiar construction and manner of connection of the hinge parts as above disclosed. No dust or other foreign matter can possibly enter into the interior of the box at the hinge joints, as is the case with other electric cutout boxes and analogous structures now in common use.

It will further be appreciated that as the box and its cover together with the elements of the hinge connection are each formed from a singleblank of sheet metal, the im proved box can be produced in large quantities in an expeditiousmanner and at nominalcost. The box structure is also Very durable and serviceable in practical use and can be readily manufacturedin many different sizes and adapted and applied to numerous uses'other than that herein referred In the preceding description and the accompanying drawings we have disclosed one practical embodiment of the invention, which, however, may. likewise be exemplified in numerous alternative constructions. Accordingly the invention as herein claimed 7/ is to be considered as inclusive of all legitimate equivalents for the various elements employed as well as other contemplated arrangements thereof, which may satisfactorily accomplish the desired' results.

We claim: 7

1. A hinge structure comprising complementary parts, one of said parts having a slot therein and the other part having a hinge lug to be engaged in said. slot, a lock mg member on the first-named part to extend over one side of said slot and prevent disengagement of the hinge lug therefrom, a'ndthe second-named part having a portion adapted to extend over and close .the other-side of said slot.

2. A hinge structure comprising con'iplementary parts, one of said parts having spaced walls provided with hinge elements, another of said parts also having spaced hinge elements thereon for engagement with the respective hinge elements on said walls,

and locking meansfixed to the spaced walls of said first-named part, and positioned with respect to the hinge elements there'on'to prevent thedisconnection of the engaged hinge elements from each other.

3. A box comprising a body and cover each formedfrom a single sheet metal blank, the cover havinga flange extending along each of its marginal side andend.

edg s oellgageupon theexterior f n f the body walls, one ofthe end flanges and opposite walls. of the body having. coacting means affording a hinged. connection be tween the box body and the cover.

' 4. A box comprising a body; and cover each fonned' froi'n a vsingle.Sheet metal blank, pposlte body walls having open ended slots. saidcover having means engageable in said slots to thereby hingedly connectthe cover to the box body, and another of the body walls being positioned relative to said slots and fixed to said first'named Walls to prevent the disconnection of the cover from the box body.

5. A box comprising a body and cover, opposite body walls having open ended slots normally covered at their inner sides by another of the body walls, said cover having marginal flanges and one of said flanges be ing provided with means adapted for insertion into said slots when said last named body wall is sprung inwardly to uncover the slots, said wall being subsequently permanently fixed to the first named walls to prevent the disconnection of the cover from the box body.

6. A box comprising a body and cover, opposite body walls having open ended slots normally covered at their inner sides by another of the body walls, said cover having marginal flanges and one of said flan es being provided with terminal lugs a apted for insertion into said slots when said last named body wall is sprung inwardly to uncover the slots, said wall being subsequently permanently fixed to the first named Walls to prevent the disconnection of the cover from the box body.

7. A box comprising a body and cover, opposite body walls having open ended slots, another of the body walls being normally disposed over said slots, said cover having marginal flanges, one of which is provided with terminal lugs, the adjacent flanges having notches therein to receive said 111 5, said last namedbody wall being adapte to be sprung inwardly to permit of the insertion of said lugs into said slots, said wall upon return to its normal position, closincr the slots to prevent removal of the lugs t erefrom, and means for permanently securing said body wall in its normal position.

8. A box comprising a body and cover, opposite body walls having lips formed upon one edge, each provided with an open ended slot, another of the body walls in its normal position closing the entrances to said slots, said cover having marginal flanges to engage upon the exterior of the body walls when the cover is closed, and one of said flanges being provided with terminal lugs,

the adjacent flanges having notches to receive said lugs, said last named body wall being adapted to be sprung inwardly from its normal position to permit of the engage ment of said lugs in said slots, and the adj acent cover flanges extending in angular relation to each other being spaced to provide openings for the reception of said lips, and means for permanently securing the body walls together in their normal relative positions to thereby close said slots and prevent the detachment of the cover from the box.

9. A hinge structure including complementary parts, one of said parts having angularly related flanges, one flange provided with a hinge lug and the other flange with a recess to receive said lug, and the other of said parts having a slot to receive said lug whereby the said parts are hingedly connected to each other.

10. A hinge structure including complerecess to receive said lug, and the other of said parts having a slot to receive said lug and being provided with a portion extending between said angularly related flanges whereby the parts are hingedly connected to each other.

11. A hinge structure including complementary parts, one of said parts having angularly related flanges, one flange provided with a hinge lug and the other flange with a recess to receive said lug, and the other of said parts having a slot to receive said lug and means normally closing the entrance to said slot, said latter part being further provided with a portion movable between said angularly related flanges.

12. A hinge structure including complementary parts, each formed from a sheet metal blank and having hinge elements for interlocking engagement with each other, a portion of one of the sheet metal parts being bent into contiguous relation to the hinge elements thereof and adapted to be engaged by the other of said parts when the hinge elements of the parts are cooperatively associated with each other and momentarily sprung from its normal position, said port1on upon returning to its normal position locking the hinge elements against disconnection.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our invention, we have signed our names hereunder.

DAVID POSTAL. SAM HAMMER. 

